Market Method: The Glue The Keeps It All Together

Karen D. Singh, Alexia Brue, Sheila Kim-Jamet, and Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 10/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Plywood sits at the core of many environmental debates. Not only does the quotidian building material involve logging and waste, the chemical composition of its urea-formaldehyde adhesive has caused concerns about possible links to cancer and other health issues. A partnership between Columbia Forest Products, a manufacturer of hardwood plywood panels, and Oregon State University has been working to solve the green adhesive conundrum. The university's biomimicry research lab studied the small threads used by mussels to remain attached to shoreline rocks amidst pounding waves and discovered a protein with an unusual chemical composition. Later studies determined the mussel protein could be simulated by modifying environmentally benign soy protein. The result is the soy flour-based bonding solution called PureBond, which Columbia happily makes available to other manufacturers. 800-237-2428; cfpwood.com. circle 414